Warning! Spoilers ahead for Chicago Fire season 11.Chicago Fire is heavily hinting that Kelly Severide may never come back to Firehouse 51 even though Taylor Kinney's leave of absence is supposed to only be temporary. While One Chicago is used to dealing with cast reshuffling every few years, this change is particularly big not just because Severide is the face of Chicago Fire, but because of how sudden it is. When news broke out about the matter, not much else had been revealed, only that Kinney asked for a break to deal with personal matters. Despite the abruptness of his exit, the idea that it would only be temporary made it easier to bear for viewers.
Since Kinney's departure from Chicago Fire happened in the middle of the season, NBC and Wolf Entertainment had to scramble to rewrite the rest of the year. Before the big development, showrunner Andrea Newman teased big things ahead for Severide and Stella Kidd, but those are obviously not panning out — at least this season. To the writers' credit, they found a great way to explain Severide's unexpected absence. As it turns out, he was sent to a prestigious OFI training camp that could not only help his penchant for being a fire cop but also his career overall. What they've done beyond that is quite suspicious, however.
Chicago Fire Season 11 Is Making A Big Deal Of Severide’s Absence
Considering Severide's capabilities and interest, not to mention his working relationship with Commander Tom Van Meter and OFI, it makes sense that Severide would be interested in the camp opportunity. After providing a solid reason for Squad 3 Lieutenant's absence, the One Chicago first-responder procedural could simply move on from the matter and focus on its current storytelling until Severide's return. Intriguingly, however, Chicago Fire is trying to create more drama surrounding the matter by referencing it in every episode since Kinney left which is unnecessary and could only jeopardize future narratives in the show.
Chicago Fire Is Making Big Changes To Make Up for Severide’s Absence
If Kinney's Chicago Fire exit really is temporary, Chicago Fire need not dwell too much on it. The show could simply continue without him since there's a promise that he will eventually come back. For what it's worth, it's what the show did when Miranda Rae Mayo's Stella Kidd missed several consecutive episodes just before she and Severide got married. For some reason, however, Chicago Fire season 11 isn't just bringing up Severide's absence constantly, it's also making big moves to make up for it.
For starters, Chicago Fire is bringing back Jesse Spencer's Matt Casey in light of Kinney's exit. It's uncertain what the nature of Casey's new role will be, but the timing of his comeback suggests that it is to distract from Severide's absence. Secondly, Chicago Fire is also leaning heavily on Joe Mińoso's stint as Squad 3's Interim Lieutenant. As he goes through the challenges of being thrust into a position of power and responsibility unexpectedly, it's difficult to imagine that he would simply slide down to be a regular member of the team when Severide comes back after everything he's gone through.
Severide’s Fire Cop Route Is The Best Way To Write Him Out Of Chicago Fire
Kinney’s absence is supposed to be temporary, but between the scarcity of info about his leave and the way Chicago Fire season 11 is handling his absence, it seems like everyone is aware that this will likely be a permanent move. Seeing him finally pursue his passion to be a fire cop is arguably the best way to write him out. Doing this means that he will simply transfer to OFI while Kidd can stay at Firehouse 51 with their marriage intact.
If it isn't, Chicago Fire is handling his temporary departure incorrectly by blowing it out of proportion. One Chicago may just be creating storytelling issues that could have been totally avoided if they didn't feel the need to constantly justify the reason for Severide being on furlough. In any case, with Kidd explicitly saying that her husband's absence will only be for just another month and a half, fans won't have to wait long to find out what's really happening with Kinney's fan-favorite character.
Chicago Fire season 11 airs Wednesdays on NBC.